This section provides useful resources, links and information on all aspects of Internet Marketing including web design, email marketing campaigns, data capture, search engine optimization, e-newsletters and more.

If you have an article or link you would like to recommend for this section, please contact:

Jennifer MacKinnon
Fenix Solutions

What is Web 2.0?
Confused about where we are exactly with regard to the evolution of the Internet? Further confused by the myriad of acronyms people use on a daily basis in meetings and correspondence? It's all thanks to buzzwords and hype, but once understood can help you navigate your planning and strategy for online initiatives.

>Web 2.0 - a definition: 
Web 2.0 is a term popularized by O'Reilly Media and MediaLive International as the name for a series of web development conferences that started in October 2004. It has since come to refer to what some people describe as a second phase of architecture and application development for the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 applications often use a combination of techniques devised in the late 1990s, including public web service APIs (dating from 1998), Ajax (1998), and web syndication (1997).

They often allow for mass publishing (web-based social software). The term may include blogs and wikis. To some extent Web 2.0 has become a buzzword, incorporating whatever is newly popular on the Web (such as tags and podcasts). A consensus on its exact meaning has not yet been reached.

So don't feel bad that you couldn't quite categorize what did - and did not - qualify as Web 2.0. For the most part, the items noted above were being done well before 2004 and practices such as application development and blogging are not that new. They have been available for many years, certainly longer than 2004. The difference is that they are now becoming more mainstream as marketers, communicators and IT departments adopt these ideas and technologies.

So be careful of anyone coming into your organization and purporting to sell you Web 2.0 technology. The fact is, they have probably just jumped on the technology bandwagon and won't be able to offer you much more than buzzwords. Do be cognizant of the technologies and trends that are available to you, and investigate their suitability for your environment.

Not every organization can benefit from podcasting for example, so use discretion when evaluating what is "cool" versus what is effective for your needs. If a technology helps you reach new customers, communicate better with existing customers, automates business processes and streamlines manual processes, increases your ROI .... then certainly consider them. But not everyone will reap the benefits of blogging, RRS feeds or podcasts.

If you're not sure, ask us. We can tell you.

And with that -- good luck and beware...Web 3.0 must be around the corner ...somewhere.

Read more detailed article on Web 2.0 including Market Drivers, Advanced Technologies and so on >

December 2005:
Managing your Website Content
Ensuring your company has a presence on the Internet is one challenge, however ensuring the content on your corporate website is relevant, up-to-date and timely is a challenge most companies are currently facing.

The solution -- Content Management. Content Management Solutions (CMS) are applications that allow - for the most part - non-technical resources the ability to update content on their website. These applications can either be locally installed or accessible via the Internet. Internet-based applications offer the ability for you to update your web content from anywhere -- as long as you have an Internet connection. Which means you don't have to be in your office, at your desk, to update your content.

There are a myriad of CMS applications to choose from. Some require more technical knowledge of the user than others. Many are built for Marketing/Communication specific users, therefore offer the friendliest interfaces for updating content, but do offer the least amount of customization by these same audiences, unless they know HTML or coding tags.

When choosing a CMS it is important to assess the following with regard to your situation/corporation:

1) who will be responsible for updating content on the web? What is their technical capability / knowledge level?
2) what features must be enabled via the CMS (i.e. password protected areas - i.e. Extranets - submission of forms online, completion of payment processes, subscription to e-newsletters and so on)?
3) is access to the CMS outside of the office environment required?
4) what workflow and approval processes are required for content submission?
5) do you currently have databases running that must be integrated into the CMS?
6) what financial investment are you able to undertake for this application?

These are not inclusive, but give a general approach to reviewing the various CMS options available. The answers to these questions will largely determine which CMS you should be considering. For a more in-depth article on choosing a CMS click here>

View ARCHIVED Content for this section

Website Measurement Hacks (Eric Peterson, O'Riley)

Unfortunately, most common Web analytics software applications are long on functionality and short on documentation. Without clear guidance on how these applications should be integrated into the greater Web strategy, these often expensive investments go underused and underappreciated.

Enter Web Site Measurement Hacks, a guidebook that helps you understand your Web site visitors and how they contribute to your business's success. It helps organizations and individual operators alike make the most of their Web investment by providing tools, techniques, and strategies for measuring--and then improving--their site's usability, performance, and design. Among the many topics covered, you'll learn:

• definitions of commonly used terms, such as "key performance indicators" (KPIs)
• how to drive potential customers to action
• how to gather crucial marketing and customer data
• which features are useful and which are superfluous
• advanced techniques that senior Web site analysts use on a daily basis

It's the technology companion that every site administrator needs.

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (publisher: O'Riley)
Some web sites "work" and some don't. This book shows how to use both aesthetics and mechanics to design distinctive, cohesive web sites that "work." Most books on web development concentrate either on the aesthetics or the mechanics of a site. This book focuses on the framework that holds the two together. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web shows how to apply principles of architecture and library science to design web sites and intranets that are easy to use, manage, and expand. It's for novice designers who want to avoid the pitfalls of poorly designed sites; experienced designers who've created sites but realize something "is missing"; and programmers and administrators who are comfortable with HTML, CGI, and Java but want to organize their web pages into a cohesive site. Special attention is given to:

• The process behind architecting a large, complex site
• Web site hierarchy design and organization
• Techniques for making a site easier to search

It can also be found online at Amazon.com

Websites you should bookmark for information on Internet Marketing:

www.clickz.com offers updated advice on Internet Marketing, email marketing, search engine marketing and more. Also a information resource for statical information, demographic data and so on with respect web usage.

www.marketingsherpa.com offers articles and information on marketing related initiatives including digital and Internet marketing initiative.

www.marketingprofs.com you've probably seen this link listed in other areas of the Z5 website and that's because it offers valuable information, best practices and guidelines for a host of marketing initiatives. Note: you have to register to review the articles in full.

www.omdc.on.ca: Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) is an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Culture that facilitates economic development opportunities for Ontario’s cultural media industries including book publishing, film and television, interactive digital media, magazine publishing, and music industries.